Fox is suing Al Franken and the publisher of his forthcoming book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. According to Fox, they trademarked the term “Fair and Balanced” back in 1998 and object to its use in the book’s title. Fox, oozing Balance and Fairness, refers to Franken as a “C-level commentator” who is “unstable” and “shrill”. Who filed this suit? Bill O’Reilly?

One might ask why Fox would be so concerned about a book written by a gentleman who they have absolutely no respect for? Apparently they are concerned that their viewers might mistake the book for one endorsed by the Fox News Channel, you know, with all that “Fair and Balanced” stuff printed on the front. If Fox isn’t spewing it, it can’t be “Fair and Balanced” right? After all, we wouldn’t want someone to pick up Franken’s book thinking they were going to get 250 pages of “Fair and Balanced” from a Fox sanctioned source only to be surprised by (gasp!) a differing opinion.

This suit probably doesn’t have any legs anyway. If Fox’s viewers can’t tell who wrote the book by looking at its cover (hint: the author’s last name is NOT O’Reilly) how could they ever be expected to read that which is between covers? At worst, Fox is wasting the court’s time. On the upside, Al Franken receives some excellent publicity for his new book. Don’t forget to place your advance order!

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